<p>The purpose of the diploma work is to investigate the possibilities to combine three different areas; reflectometry, microfluidics and laser ablation in a microstructured single-mode fiber, thus obtaining a controlled technique for positioning for ablation and collection of liquids from small inclusions.</p><p>Each of the three areas is thoroughly described in different sections of this report. The first part of the experiments in this diploma work consisted of combining reflectometry and microfluidics, the second part combining reflectometry with laser ablation and the final experiment setup consisted of a combination of all three areas. An artificial system for liquid collection was then designed for that purpose.</p><p>The results obtained from experiments and measurements clearly demonstrate that combining reflectometry, laser ablation and fluid collection in a single optical fiber is promising. Future work will include improvements of the technique towards a medical application for bone marrow transplantation.</p>

The purpose of the diploma work is to investigate the possibilities to combine three different areas; reflectometry, microfluidics and laser ablation in a microstructured single-mode fiber, thus obtaining a controlled technique for positioning for ablation and collection of liquids from small inclusions. Each of the three areas is thoroughly described in different sections of this report. The first part of the experiments in this diploma work consisted of combining reflectometry and microfluidics, the second part combining reflectometry with laser ablation and the final experiment setup consisted of a combination of all three areas. An artificial system for liquid collection was then designed for that purpose. The results obtained from experiments and measurements clearly demonstrate that combining reflectometry, laser ablation and fluid collection in a single optical fiber is promising. Future work will include improvements of the technique towards a medical application for bone marrow transplantation.

v Abstract This study was developed using fiber drawing tower to fabricate various types of capillary fiber and microstructured fiber. For example, different diameter sizes, different thickness, different internal diameter ratio of the capillary fiber and capillary tube, single ring and double ring hexagonal arrangement of the air-holes microstructured fiber. Trying different ways to create complex structures preform, we use the stack - drawing - cutting way, is now able to produce only simple pressure can be achieved by the complex structure of the preform, compared to drilling way, we can effectively reduce the production costs of 80%. Now successfully produced a single ring and double ring hexagonal air holes arranged in preform which has been drawn into standard fiber. Depending on the optical properties, we can use quartz tube with a row of self-developed method to produce most of the complex structure of the preform. However, each fiber is still not very uniform about the pores, which we need to improve in the manufacturing process of fiber drawing. Produce more diverse system and much homogeneous microstructured fiber as the goal. Application is to use the self-fabricated capillary tube, after processing, the production target into a low-loss device, then inject different materials within the devices, and do the different optical measurements for our devices.

This Masters thesis investigates the ligand–particle binding interactions in the thiol–capped CdTe nanoparticles and dye adsorbed gold nanoparticles. In the CdTe nanoparticles, Raman modes corresponding to the CdTe core, thiol ligand and their interfacial layers were observed and correlated to the different nanoparticle properties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such strong Raman modes of the thiol-capped nanoparticles in aqueous solution have been reported. In the gold nanoparticle systems, gold–citrate binding interactions were observed as well as adsorption of the Raman dyes and binding with the polyethyleneglycol polymer coating and phospholipid coating. These observations coincided with findings from conventional optical techniques. In addition, gold nanoparticles were found to carbonize at high pump power and prolonged exposure time. In summary, the two nanoparticle characterizations demonstrated the high sensitivity and nondestructive nature of the photonic crystal fiber for Raman spectroscopy.

This Masters thesis investigates the ligand–particle binding interactions in the thiol–capped CdTe nanoparticles and dye adsorbed gold nanoparticles. In the CdTe nanoparticles, Raman modes corresponding to the CdTe core, thiol ligand and their interfacial layers were observed and correlated to the different nanoparticle properties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such strong Raman modes of the thiol-capped nanoparticles in aqueous solution have been reported. In the gold nanoparticle systems, gold–citrate binding interactions were observed as well as adsorption of the Raman dyes and binding with the polyethyleneglycol polymer coating and phospholipid coating. These observations coincided with findings from conventional optical techniques. In addition, gold nanoparticles were found to carbonize at high pump power and prolonged exposure time. In summary, the two nanoparticle characterizations demonstrated the high sensitivity and nondestructive nature of the photonic crystal fiber for Raman spectroscopy.

The objective of this thesis work is to increase the functionality of optical fibers for possible applications in life-sciences. Optical fibers are a promising technology for use in biology and medicine. They are low-costwaveguides, flexible and have a small cross-section. They can guide high-power light with low loss in a micrometer core-size. These features make fibers attractive for minimally-invasive,in-vivostudies. The backwards guidance of the optical signal allows for real-time monitoring of the distance to the scattering targets and to study the environment through Raman scattering and fluorescence excitation. The longitudinal holes introduced in the fibers can be used,for instance,for delivery of medicine to a specific regionof a body. They could even be used for the extractionof species considered interesting for further analysis, for example, studyingcells that may be cancer-related. This thesis deals with four main topics. First, a demonstration is presented of the combination of high-power light guidance for ablation, low-power light reflectometry for positioning, and for liquid retrieval in a single fiber. It was found that in order to exploit the microfluidic possibilities available in optical fibers with holes, one needs to be able to combine fluids and light in a fiber without hindering the low-loss light guidance and the fluid flow. Secondly, one should also be able to couple light into the liquids and backout again. This is the subject of another paper in the present thesis. It was also observed that laser excitation through a fiber for the collection of a low-intensity fluorescence signal was often affected by the luminescence noise createdby the primary-coating of the fiber. This problem makes it difficult to measure low light-levels, for example, from single-cells. Athirdpaper in this thesis then describes a novel approach to reduce the luminescence from the polymer coating of the fiber, with the use of a nanometer-thick carbon layer on the cladding surface. Finally, exploiting some of the results described earlier, an optical fiber with longitudinal holes is used for the excitation, identification and for the collection of particles considered being of interest. The excitation light is guided in the fiber, the identification is performed by choosing the fluorescent particles with the appropriate wavelength, and, when a particle of interest is sufficiently near the fiber-tip, the suction system is activated for collection of the particle with good specificity. It is believed that the work described in this thesis could open the doors for applications in life-sciences and the future use of optical fibers for in-vivo studies. / <p>QC 20140516</p>

Les travaux de recherche, rapportés dans ce manuscrit, portent sur l’étude d’un laser à fibre en forme de huit et le développement de sources à 1.6 µm. En premier temps, nous avons étudié la dynamique impulsionnelle d’un laser à fibre micro-structurée en forme de huit. L’objectif est de montrer l’impact des propriétés de la fibre micro-structurée sur le comportement impulsionnel du laser. Nous avons également étudié le phénomène d’hystérésis dans cette cavité. Nos résultats numériques ont permis de démontrer l’universalité de ce phénomène dans les cavités lasers. Autrement, il est indépendant de la technique de verrouillage de modes. En second lieu, nous avons développé une source laser émettant à 1.6 µm à partir d’un amplificateur fonctionnant dans la bande C. La méthode que nous avons explorée est basée sur la gestion des pertes linéaires. L’émission, en continu et en verrouillage de modes, a été démontrée dans deux configurations différentes. Enfin et en se basant sur ce concept, nous avons rapporté des sources accordables sur une large fenêtre spectrale. Nous avons également étudié différentes formes des régimes harmoniques autour de 1.6 µm. / During our research, we are interested in studying of the figure of eight fiber laser based on the microstructured optical fiber and developing a 1.61 µm mode locked fiber laser from a C-band double-clad Er : Yb doped fiber amplifier. In the first step and based on a theoretical model, we have investigated the multi-pulse emission of a microstructured figure-of eight fiber laser operating in passive mode-locking. The proposed laser is mode locked by the nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM). We further study the hysteresis dependence and the number of pulses in steady state as a function of both the small signal gain and the nonlinear coefficient of microstructured fiber. Our results demonstrate that the nonlinear coefficient of microstructured fiber plays a key role in the formation of multi-soliton. In the second step and based on the control of the linear losses of the cavity, we demonstrate the possibility to achieve filter less laser emission above 1.6 μm, from a C-band double-clad Er: Yb doped fiber amplifier, using a figure-of-eight geometry and a unidirectional ring cavity. We also reported a widely tunable mode locked fiber laser and harmonic mode locking of twin and third pulse around 1.61 µm.

Esta tese descreve a demonstração experimental de dispositivos baseados em fibras de cristal fotônico (PCFs), que aproveitam a flexibilidade estrutural oferecida pela matriz de capilares que compõe a seção reta da fibra, de forma a preencher estes capilares com líquidos e materiais nanoestruturados. Para o caso de materiais nanoestruturados, uma vez preenchida a fibra, os materiais nela inseridos interagem eficientemente com a luz guiada. Essa arquitetura diferenciada em relação às fibras ópticas convencionais abre novas perspectivas no desenvolvimento de aplicações como óptica não-linear e sensoriamento. PCFs de núcleo líquido, por outro lado, impõe dificuldades para a implementação de dispositivos práticos, devido às altas taxas de evaporação dos líquidos inseridos. Por esta razão, foi desenvolvida uma nova técnica para vedar seletivamente ambas as faces externas do núcleo líquido de uma PCF, utilizando um polímero curável. Estes tampões poliméricos evitam a evaporação, causando um impacto mínimo no guiamento da luz, tornando o dispositivo usável por semanas. Esta nova técnica de vedação foi empregada em um experimento para a geração de supercontínuo em uma PCF com núcleo de água destilada, proporcionando uma estabilidade de pelo menos 1 hora. Combinando líquidos e materiais nanoestruturados, foi também foi desenvolvido um sensor de temperatura baseado no preenchimento do núcleo de uma PCF por uma amostra coloidal de nanopartículas semicondutoras de CdSe/ZnS, dispersas em óleo mineral. O espectro de luminescência destes pontos quânticos coloidais é fortemente dependente da temperatura e os resultados obtidos mostraram que a grande interação entre a luz e o colóide, aliada a geometria da fibra, proporcionando uma sensibilidade ~5,5 vezes maior que a apresentada por uma rede de Bragg escrita em uma fibra óptica padrão, com boa relação sinal-ruído. / This thesis describes the experimental demonstration of devices based on photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). PCFs are optical fibers whose core is surrounded by a regular matrix of holes, which runs longitudinally across its length. This singular configuration allows the insertion of liquids and nanostructured material into the fiber. Nanostructured materials embedded inside the fiber efficiently interact with the guided light, opening up possibilities of novel applications regarding the fields of non-linear optics, as well as optical sensing. On the other hand, liquid-core PCFs suffer from some disadvantages concerning practical device applications, on account of the high evaporation of the inserted liquids. In order to address this issue, we developed a novel technique to selectively seal the external faces of a liquid-core PCF, by using a polymer plug. These polymer plugs avoid evaporation while causing a minimum impact on the light guiding characteristics of the PCF. This novel sealing technique was employed in a supercontinuum generation experiment, by using a PCF whose core was water-filled. A temporal stability of at least one-hour on the resulting spectrum was achieved. Combining the above techniques, we also developed a temperature sensor based on the core-filling of a PCF by a colloidal ensemble of CdSe/ZnS semiconductor nanoparticles dispersed in mineral oil. Those colloidal quantum-dots display a luminescence spectrum which is strongly dependent on temperature and the experimental results indicated that the greater interaction between the guided light and the colloidal sample, provided by the fiber geometry, allowed a sensitivity which is approximately 5.5 times than possible with a conventional Bragg grating, while keeping a satisfactory signal-to-noise ratio.

Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es erstmals gelungen, mit einem ps-Pumplaser (10 ps) Weißlicht mit einer spektralen Breite von mehr als einer optischen Oktave in einer mikrostrukturierten Faser (MSF) bei einer Pumpwellenlänge von 1064 nm zu generieren. Es ließ sich, abgesehen von nichtkonvertierten Resten der Pumpstrahlung, ein unstrukturiertes und zeitlich stabiles Weißlichtspektrum von 700 nm bis 1650 nm generieren. Die maximale Ausgangsleistung dieser Weißlichtstrahlung betrug 3,1 W. Es konnten sehr gute Einkoppeleffizienzen von maximal 62 % erzielt werden. Die an der Weißlichterzeugung beteiligten dispersiven und nichtlinear optischen Effekte, wie z.B. Selbstphasenmodulation, Vierwellenmischung, Modulationsinstabilitäten oder Solitoneneffekte, werden detailliert theoretisch untersucht und erläutert. Die Arbeit beinhaltet ebenfalls eine umfangreiche Beschreibung der Wirkungsweise und Eigenschaften von mikrostrukturierten Fasern mit einem festen Faserkern. Aufgrund der großen Variationsvielfalt des mikrostrukturierten Fasermantels und der damit verbundenen Wellenleitereigenschaften ergeben sich, insbesondere für die Anwendung in der nichtlinearen Optik, eine Reihe von interessanten Eigenschaften. Es wurden insgesamt vier verschiedene mikrostrukturierte Fasern experimentell untersucht. Für die Interpretation der experimentellen Ergebnisse ist die Pulsausbreitung der ps-Pumppulse in einer dispersiven, nichtlinear optischen Faser anhand der verallgemeinerten nichtlinearen Schrödinger-Gleichung berechnet worden. Durch einen Vergleich der Berechnungen mit den Messdaten ließen sich verstärkte Modulationsinstabilitäten und verschiedene Solitoneneffekte als hauptsächlich für die Weißlichterzeugung bei ps-Anregungspulsen verantwortlich identifizieren. Auf der Basis der durchgeführten Untersuchungen wurde in Kooperation mit der Fa. Jenoptik Laser, Optik, Systeme GmbH eine kompakte und leistungsstarke Weißlichtquelle entwickelt. Diese wurde erfolgreich in einer Kohärenztomographiemessung (Optical Coherence Tomography - OCT) getestet: Es konnte in ex vivo-Untersuchungen gezeigt werden, dass sich mit dieser ps-Weißlichtquelle eine hohe Eindringtiefe von ca. 400 µm in die Netzhaut eines Affen erreichen lässt. / With the present work it succeeded for the first time to generate white-light with a spectral width of more than an optical octave in a microstructured fiber (MSF) with a pump wavelength of 1064 nm and ps-pump pulses (10 ps). Apart from non-converted remainders of the pumping radiation, an unstructured and temporally stable white-light spectrum from 700 nm to 1650 nm could be generated. The maximum output power of this white-light radiation amounted to 3.1 W. Very good coupling efficiencies of max. 62 % could be obtained. At the white light generation different dispersive and nonlinear optical effects took part, e.g. self-phase modulation, four-wave mixing, modulation instabilities and soliton effects. These processes are theoretically examined and described in detail. Likewise the work contained an extensive description of the principle of operation and characteristics of microstructured fibers with a solid fiber core. Due to the large variation variety of the microstructured fiber cladding and the associated wave-guiding characteristics arise, in particular for application in the nonlinear optics, a set of interesting properties. Altogether four different microstructured fibers were experimentally examined. For the interpretation of the experimental results the pulse propagation of ps-pump pulses in a dispersive, nonlinear optical fiber was computed on the basis of the generalized nonlinear Schroedinger equation. By a comparison of the calculation results with the measuring data amplified modulation instabilities and different soliton effects could be identified as main responsible for the white light generation with ps-pump pulses. With respect to the accomplished experimental and theoretical investigations in co-operation with the company Jenoptik laser, optics, systems GmbH a compact and high-performance white-light source was developed. This broadband light source was tested successfully in an optical coherence tomography measurement (OCT): It could be shown in ex vivo investigations that with this white-light source high penetration depths of approx. 400 µm into the retina of a monkey could be achieved.

Esta tese descreve a demonstração experimental de dispositivos baseados em fibras de cristal fotônico (PCFs), que aproveitam a flexibilidade estrutural oferecida pela matriz de capilares que compõe a seção reta da fibra, de forma a preencher estes capilares com líquidos e materiais nanoestruturados. Para o caso de materiais nanoestruturados, uma vez preenchida a fibra, os materiais nela inseridos interagem eficientemente com a luz guiada. Essa arquitetura diferenciada em relação às fibras ópticas convencionais abre novas perspectivas no desenvolvimento de aplicações como óptica não-linear e sensoriamento. PCFs de núcleo líquido, por outro lado, impõe dificuldades para a implementação de dispositivos práticos, devido às altas taxas de evaporação dos líquidos inseridos. Por esta razão, foi desenvolvida uma nova técnica para vedar seletivamente ambas as faces externas do núcleo líquido de uma PCF, utilizando um polímero curável. Estes tampões poliméricos evitam a evaporação, causando um impacto mínimo no guiamento da luz, tornando o dispositivo usável por semanas. Esta nova técnica de vedação foi empregada em um experimento para a geração de supercontínuo em uma PCF com núcleo de água destilada, proporcionando uma estabilidade de pelo menos 1 hora. Combinando líquidos e materiais nanoestruturados, foi também foi desenvolvido um sensor de temperatura baseado no preenchimento do núcleo de uma PCF por uma amostra coloidal de nanopartículas semicondutoras de CdSe/ZnS, dispersas em óleo mineral. O espectro de luminescência destes pontos quânticos coloidais é fortemente dependente da temperatura e os resultados obtidos mostraram que a grande interação entre a luz e o colóide, aliada a geometria da fibra, proporcionando uma sensibilidade ~5,5 vezes maior que a apresentada por uma rede de Bragg escrita em uma fibra óptica padrão, com boa relação sinal-ruído. / This thesis describes the experimental demonstration of devices based on photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). PCFs are optical fibers whose core is surrounded by a regular matrix of holes, which runs longitudinally across its length. This singular configuration allows the insertion of liquids and nanostructured material into the fiber. Nanostructured materials embedded inside the fiber efficiently interact with the guided light, opening up possibilities of novel applications regarding the fields of non-linear optics, as well as optical sensing. On the other hand, liquid-core PCFs suffer from some disadvantages concerning practical device applications, on account of the high evaporation of the inserted liquids. In order to address this issue, we developed a novel technique to selectively seal the external faces of a liquid-core PCF, by using a polymer plug. These polymer plugs avoid evaporation while causing a minimum impact on the light guiding characteristics of the PCF. This novel sealing technique was employed in a supercontinuum generation experiment, by using a PCF whose core was water-filled. A temporal stability of at least one-hour on the resulting spectrum was achieved. Combining the above techniques, we also developed a temperature sensor based on the core-filling of a PCF by a colloidal ensemble of CdSe/ZnS semiconductor nanoparticles dispersed in mineral oil. Those colloidal quantum-dots display a luminescence spectrum which is strongly dependent on temperature and the experimental results indicated that the greater interaction between the guided light and the colloidal sample, provided by the fiber geometry, allowed a sensitivity which is approximately 5.5 times than possible with a conventional Bragg grating, while keeping a satisfactory signal-to-noise ratio.